Natural Areas Inventory for Credit River Watershed & Region of Peel Launched

Green Drake courtesy of Heather Lynn.

Given the tremendous development pressures the Credit River watershed and Region of Peel will be facing, it is important to maintain a healthy environment for all. This means that we need to know of the existence of natural areas and that we understand their functions. Information on these areas needs to be accurate, up-to-date and available in a useable format so that informed decisions can be made.

To achieve this goal, a three year Natural Areas Inventory (NAI) Project has been launched. The first task will be to assess existing biological and ecological information to identify gaps and areas where information is incomplete or outdated. As a result of this analysis, field inventories will be conducted to document community and species composition. The project will also identify significant natural heritage features and functions.

All the information gathered in this project will be reported in a municipal and watershed context. The information will be assembled in a user-friendly format, to provide the general public, non-governmental organizations and government agencies with a better understanding of the environment in the Credit watershed and Peel region. The project results will support public education, stewardship and protection initiatives and sound ecosystem management, ensuring long-term community health.

Credit Valley Conservation, the Halton/North Peel Naturalist Club and the South Peel Naturalists’ Club are partners in the NAI. They share the common goals of promoting enjoyment of nature and the environment, of working toward the protection of natural areas and encouraging wise, responsible management of natural heritage resources.

The Natural Areas Inventory Project is generously supported financially by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives $100 million annually from Ontario’s charity casino initiative.

2007 Urban Fishing Festival

The 2007 Urban Fishing Festival was held at Lake Aquitaine in Mississauga on July 7. This annual event coincides with the licence free fishing weekend held the first weekend in July across the province. The Urban Fishing Festival is an excellent opportunity for kids and parents to learn about angling techniques and some of the fish in the watershed. The event at Lake Aquitaine was a partnership between Credit Valley Conservation, the Mississauga Bassmasters, the Credit River Anglers, Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club, Evergreen and EcoSource. At this year’s event, the Canadian National Sportsman’s Show donated 220 rod and reel combos for kids and 144 t-shirts and hats. An estimated 400 people lined up by the time the event started and all the rods were distributed within 30 minutes. Those who didn’t receive a rod were given t-shirts, hats and other items. In addition, 15 dozen worms, 200 fish posters, and 240 hot dogs were also handed out. CVC staff set up a booth and distributed a variety of educational brochures developed by government agencies. Unlike previous years, there were no largemouth or rock bass caught. Many of the participants caught their first brown bullhead and one lucky angler landed a large black crappie.